Michael Gracie

We all know that fly fishing industry is but a tiny portion of the trillions in annual GDP. But it’s about to become a much bigger piece of the pie:

Bamboo has come into vogue as a green, sustainable resource that’s used for everything from cutting boards to clothing to wood floors. But until now, almost all of the bamboo in products sold here has come from overseas. That could change soon, as new planting techniques may lead to millions of new acres of bamboo shoots in the American South.

Cloning homegrown structural building components that are stronger than steel? In America’s deep south? Sounds like cotton ginning turned casting competitions. A revolution built on the power and precision elegance of bamboo fly rods is just what America needs to kickstart the ailing economy.

If you think it’ll be an impossible task to get the 290 million people in the US who don’t fly fish out on the water with a $1,400 rod, think again. This intrepid reporter just found out that the government is prepared to distribute  kinda, sorta thinking about giving  might, in the far distant future, debate the concept of coughing up carbon credits to anyone who invests in some feelgood fly casting equipment. You’ll be able to sell those credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange, and under cap and trade legislation presently before Congress credits are limited, as rock solid a guarantee if there ever was one that they’re sure to appreciate in value.

Save the world and line your pockets with big cap gains. Act now!

MG signing off (to plant, harvest, cast, and be rich)

Brought to you this one day only in true order of importance

Fly Fishing

Technology

Finance

MG signing off (not really)

And when I say backcountry, I don’t mean anywhere near the Rocky Mountains…

Adiós muchachos y muchachas.

Editor’s note: the bright yellow box is full of…uh…sunscreen.

Orvis’s TLS line has been around quite a few years, and has certainly been the target of its fair share of reviews. But we fly fish in a world where four piece rods are the norm, and when I found this Orvis TLS Power Matrix 908-2 Tip-Flex 9.5 I figured it would be an oddity in my gear closet too. Yea, it’s a two piece, but my arm was twisted into giving it a go. The intended use – tromping around Denver looking for big smelly carp, a purpose for which assembly convenience trumps inability to stuff it into a commercial airliner’s overhead storage bin.

Since it’s an older model, I’ll be brief. This will be a single part review too (lucky you) since I’ve already fished the rod several times.

Fit and finish

The rod came in a nice burgundy colored cordura covered tube, complete with a zip away cap and a black cordura carry handle. There was no rod sock included – a simple divider is built into the tube. More ‘less parts’ is fine by me, and the tube is durable enough that a person could re-purpose it for a friendly came of stick-ball if so desired.

The rod finish is glossy forest green, and just slightly darker around the wraps. If nothing else, green feels good – I now have less green in my pocket but I can probably spin it as part of some environmental cause. There are two black anodized stripping guides – the rest of the [snake] guides are nickel – and the reel seat is gloss black. The finish on the reel seat looks and feels tough – identical to that on several premium saltwater rods I’ve owned for years that still don’t have a scratch on them.

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Technology

Finance

Fly Fishing

Adieu.

Fly fishing plunger Craig Berg came to America seeking the good life. And outside of a grand career and a happy, healthy family it’s been a unmitigated disaster. If you have to ask why, you obviously have never fly fished with my crew and I.

First and foremost, I’m a drill sergeant. You lob a weak cast, I scream. You snag your flies and try pulling them loose without walking up first, I scream. You allow your line to drag on the surface, I scream. Tangle your leader…scream! Asked me to retie your knots…scream! You get the picture – I’d fail guide school because I’m a terrible babysitter. But over the last few years Mr. Berg has figured out trout, and I take full responsibility.

Alas, it was time to move on to bigger and better things, and today was the breakthrough day. Tough love works…

Gracie rig and fly choice (and a little yelling)

I’m still figuring out this carp thing myself, but it’s always good to have a whipping boy quick study around to test my theories for me.

Editor’s note: special thanks to James Snyder of Primal Fly Fishing for piping his own version of the Comedy Channel into our outing, making for an even finer day. And, no…neither James nor I netted jack. Class dismissed!

Dave Coulson of Fish Explorer talks carp, in the Fort Collins Coloradan:

Carp get big, frequently exceeding 2 feet and 10 pounds. Much bigger fish are not uncommon. They are such strong and determined fighters that I use them as a warm-up for my redfish trips. These Colorado redfish have trashed more of my tackle than any other fish.

I’m glad Dave noted that he uses carp fishing as a warm-up for trips after our fine spotted tail friends. It’s a good idea, but I’ve got one better…how about using your upcoming redfish trip as a warm-up for the South Platte Pro-Am Carp Slam?!

What the hell is a carp slam?

Glad you asked. The South Platte Pro-Am Carp Slam is a fly fishing tournament held each year right here in Denver. This year the contest is August 22nd, and the target is the Colorado redfish, or common carp. The tournament takes place on various portions of the South Platte River, in and around the downtown area.

There’s a good purpose too – proceeds from the Carp Slam go to rehabilitating the South Platte River directly below Chatfield Reservoir as what else…a trout fishery. Hosted by Denver Trout Unlimited, the Carp Slam is now in it’s third year. And now that the South Platte River is a famous brownlining haunt (thanks to the Wall Street Journal) the folks putting on the event are expecting quite a show. In competitions past, big carp have been had, but there have been a few surprises too, including this piggy trout bagged by Dzifa Glymin right near REI. It’s proof positive Denver Trout Unlimited is on the right track with this effort.

If you’re a fly fisher itching for some tough fights against tough fish, as well as a shot at shutting loudmouths such as myself up for eternity  until next year’s Teva Mountain Games  for at least ten seconds, I suggest you get signed up now.

Hans from Utah generously offered $55 for the Gracie Bodak edition fly fishing lanyard. The lanyard is now his, and Amanda is closer to getting the medical attention she needs. Thank you Hans.

I’d also like to thank the following folks for their support: Rick Mang of Water Walker Lanyards, the Moldy Chum gang, Alex Landeen of Fat Guy Fly Fishing, @anglerwannabe, @rachhillis, @fishingjones, and @MaineFlyBoi. If I missed anyone, thank you too.

You are all good peeps.

You have to follow CNBC to get the straight talk from the master seer:

“Oil could be closer to $100 a barrel towards the end of this year, this could be a negative shock to the economy.”

Or you could have gotten the much less publicized version of the relatively same opinion almost two months ago:

No matter – if oil continues its march, consumers won’t be joining the summer of love. And any chance of the recovery the powers that be are trying to convince them is well in hand will be swirling in a tanker parked off the Gulf Coast.

How this all plays out is anyone’s guess, but with interest rates also on the rise it seems unlikely that we are going to see burgeoning demand for goods in the near future. There’s just too much out there, and given the choice between a widescreen TV and filling up the tank, the latter is going to win hands down. Heck, even yard sales are hurting for business.

If you’re going to hit the upper South Platte, might I suggest getting up early. Notoriously windy afternoons aside, it’s been clear in South Park the last few days. The water is running around 200cfs, and just as spotless as the afternoon sky. The fish are spookier than a Steven King flick, but there is still plenty of opportunity…particularly for the early bird.

On last visit, main man [Tim] Marek and I picked up measly half-dozen fish. And we missed probably twice that, which was particularly ugly since we were sight fishing a good portion of the time. When you make three casts to a rainbow that’s hopping between feeding lanes like a stock car making up ten places in a crowded pack, only to look away the very moment it actually eats the fly, you deserve every denigrating comment your spotter throws your way thereafter. I spent the majority of my day on the receiving end of what we’ll hereinafter categorize as blunt criticism.

Meanwhile, lieutenants Greg Drapeau and Nate Taylor, who we expected to bump into there, were wading in shorts and beach sandals. They had their flies weighted down like a mob accountant’s feet after turning state’s evidence. And while they didn’t fare any better than us from noon to dark, their description of the morning made us think that breakfast isn’t necessarily for champions. Greg reminded us (with fervor) that he had picked up ten fish between 7am and 9am, and before Nate even got on the scoreboard, but conceded his partner in crime caught up quick. Any twenty fish day on the South Platte is a damn good one, particular since anything under fourteen inches is considered a dink in this section (and usually gets eaten by their cousin the predator unless it hides six inches below the stream bed for the first two years of its life).

Flies of the day for our South Platte jaunt could be summed up in one word, caddis. While Tim did get one trout to sip a stimulator, up or down the key to success was everyone’s favorite early summer bug. Hatches occurred throughout the day, but winged sightings were sporadic so we fished a lot of pupa and larvae patterns. And while we did pick up some stonefly larvae in the grass, the fish just weren’t interested in bonafide meat – even a dusk time jaunt down river with big rods and even bigger flies didn’t produce a single strike.

Hindsight is sometimes 20/20, but in the case of fly fishing half the battle is just plain luck of the draw. The aging (or should we say realistic about their age) half the crowd got lucky at our traditional pit stop the Silverheels – there was a wide selection of lunch fave, the gourmet Millonzi’s sandwich, to choose from. Our meal kicked butt as a result, while I imagine the younger crowd snacked on crackers and Cheez Wiz. Knowing the lay of the land always makes for a fine day, and is a definitive product of experience.

Or at least that’s what we told ourselves repeatedly during the drive home, drowning out the reality that we got plain out-fished because we’re old it takes a dozen cups of $10/pound coffee to get us started in the morning.